Steam’s official VR headset, ‘Steam Frame,’ has been released. It supports both ‘wireless connection to a PC for gameplay’ and ‘gameplay using the headset itself,’ and can also play non-VR games.
Valve, the company that operates Steam, has released the Steam Frame VR headset. The Steam Frame can not only connect wirelessly to a PC to play VR games, but it can also run VR games directly on the Steam Frame itself, allowing users to play without a PC. Furthermore, it can project a giant display into the VR space, enabling users to play non-VR games purchased from Steam.
Steam Frame
Steam Hardware – Steam Frame now on sale! – Steam News
https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/45479024/view/692020124159311887?l=japanese
The Steam Frame is a VR headset that doesn’t require base stations. It weighs 440 grams including the head strap, and the weight is distributed by placing the battery at the back of the head.
Generally, VR goggles use either Fresnel lenses, which have concentric grooves, or pancake lenses, which are thin lenses with a multi-element construction similar to camera lenses. Fresnel lenses have problems such as a narrow range of clear rendering and the occurrence of color bleeding and noise depending on the groove shape, making pancake lenses superior in terms of image quality. Steam Frame uses pancake lenses to improve image quality. The display is an LCD panel with a resolution of 2160 x 2160 pixels per eye and a refresh rate of 72-144Hz.
The Steam Frame comes with a 6GHz wireless adapter, allowing it to wirelessly receive and display game footage rendered on a PC. It also supports ‘foveated streaming,’ which tracks the player’s gaze and renders only the area the player is looking at in high definition, achieving high image quality even with wireless streaming.
A controller with magnetic analog sticks and L/R triggers is also included. The controller features capacitive finger tracking, which tracks finger movements and reflects them in compatible games.
Also, the controller is not rechargeable; it uses replaceable batteries.
The Steam Frame supports not only streaming from a PC but also standalone gameplay where you run games directly on the device. Furthermore, it can play non-VR games as well. Additionally, purchasing the device includes the VR FPS ‘
Valve has also released a video explaining the appearance and setup procedure of the Steam Frame.
Steam Frame: Official Overview and Quick Start Guide – YouTube
Review videos of the Steam Frame have already been posted online. The YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips commented: ‘Streaming from a PC is so high-quality that it’s indistinguishable from a wired connection. Foveated streaming is very well done, and even if you deliberately move your eyes quickly, it tracks smoothly without any jarring.’ ‘Standalone play is practical, allowing you to play games like Half-Life: Alyx. However, the image quality is significantly inferior to streaming from a PC.’ ‘Battery life is on the shorter side. You can play Half-Life: Alyx in standalone mode for 55 minutes, compared to 1.5 hours of streaming from a PC. You can play while connected to a power source, but that negates the advantage of playing without a cord.’
In the US, the Steam Frame lottery began on September 15, 2026 at 2:00 AM Japan time. Then, at 10:00 AM on September 15, 2026, sales also began at KOMODO STATION, which is handling sales in Japan.
Steam Frame – KOMODO STATION
https://komodostation.com/product/steam-frame_jpy/
In Japan, the selling price is 199,980 yen for the 256GB model and 244,980 yen for the 1TB model. In regions where you can purchase directly from Steam, such as the United States, you can register for the lottery for the first round of sales until September 17, 2026 (local time). However, KOMODO STATION is selling on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you’re interested, you should hurry and buy it.
Orders placed by 11:59 PM on September 17, 2026 will be shipped on September 24, 2026. The GIGAZINE editorial team has successfully ordered the 256GB model of the Steam Frame, and we plan to review it as soon as it arrives!
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Sep 15, 2026 10:47:00
in Video, Hardware, Game, Posted by log1o_hf
